Longtime Burbank kindergarten teacher was killed by her son, police say
A longtime Burbank elementary school teacher was killed by her adult son after a fight, police said.
Police officers and paramedics found Karyn Lombardo, 57, unconscious inside her home in the 800 block of North Avon Street about 10 p.m. Tuesday, the Burbank Police Department said in a statement.
Lombardo, a teacher at Bret Harte Elementary School, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Her son, Kyle Lombardo, 25, was arrested and booked on suspicion of murder based on evidence at the home that he "caused her death during an altercation in the family home," where he also lived, according to police. They did not provide further details.
Lombardo is being held at the Burbank city jail in lieu of $2-million bond, according to Los Angeles County inmate records.
Vince Lombardo, Karyn's husband, told KTLA-TV that their son suffered from mental illness and that police had been called to their home before.
"She loved him more than anything and tried to help him," Vince said. "All of her students love her. Coming through the system here, there were students who became teachers because of her."
Lombardo taught at the school for 30 years in a variety of roles, including teaching kindergarten, intervention and performing arts chorus, John Paramo, superintendent of the Burbank Unified School District, said in a statement.
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"Over the course of her highly accomplished career, Ms. Lombardo touched the lives of thousands of students, parents, and colleagues, who will be mourning this loss in the days to come," Paramo wrote. "Her dedication, warmth, and passion for teaching touched many students' and colleagues' lives."
Paramo said Lombardo began her career with Burbank Unified as a bilingual teacher at Joaquin Miller Elementary School in 1990. Three years later, she transferred to Harte.
School psychologists and social service workers will be on site in the coming days to support students and staff, Paramo said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
